Theory · glossary
Pentatonic scale
Also called major pentatonic, minor pentatonic, five-note scale, black keys scale
A pentatonic scale is any scale with five notes per octave. The usual two are the major pentatonic, a major scale without its 4th and 7th (C D E G A), and the minor pentatonic, the same notes starting on the 6th (A C D E G).
Take the C major scale, number its notes 1 to 7, and keep 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. That leaves C D E G A, the C major pentatonic. The two notes that go, F and B, are the ones a semitone away from a neighbor (E to F, B to C), and together they form a tritone, the tensest interval in the scale. With them gone, the scale has no half steps and no tritone, so you can play its notes in any order, or several at once, and nothing clashes.
| Scale | Steps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Major pentatonic | 1 2 3 5 6 | C D E G A |
| Minor pentatonic | 1 b3 4 5 b7 | A C D E G |
The two share their notes the same way C major and A minor do. What changes is the home note. Over a C chord the five notes sound open and sunny, the sound of many folk tunes and hymns, the melody of “Amazing Grace” among them. Over Am they turn moody, and the minor pentatonic is the first scale many guitarists learn for blues and rock solos. Add one note, the flat 5th, and it becomes the blues scale.
The five black keys on a piano are a pentatonic scale too: Gb major pentatonic (Gb Ab Bb Db Eb), or Eb minor pentatonic if you treat Eb as home. That is why noodling on the black keys alone sounds good. Music teachers use the same trick on classroom xylophones by lifting off the F and B bars.
In Gelato Synth, pick Major Pentatonic or Minor Pentatonic in Notes mode and the pads hold only those five notes, across three octaves. Gelato Chord lists both among its ten scales.
For the full reason nothing clashes, read why the pentatonic scale sounds good, and for how it compares with other scales, see 12 scales that sound Egyptian, Spanish, spooky or dreamy.
Updated . All terms · Try the online chord pads